Silverado EV Predictions

[Ogre]

Looking at it, the Silverado is already pretty thick, maybe they can cram a giant battery under there.

My guess for Silverados special feature is a removable hood and front tailgate.

They Pitch it as the “Fred” short for Front bED.

The front tailgate will be the Failgate for similar reasons.

 

[Sirfun]

It has 4 wheel steering: https://www.chevrolet.com/electric/upcoming-all-electric-silverado

"Available Four-Wheel Steer*"

When you click on the asterisk, you get this small print.

"Late availability. Available on select retail models and trims."

 

[Cybertruck Hawaii]

Ford and GM make great vehicles. It’s the dealership experience that has the bitter aftertaste in the buying process. It’s like six hours of POW torture.

 

[Bob Anderson]

"Available Four-Wheel Steer*"

When you click on the asterisk, you get this small print.

"Late availability. Available on select retail models and trims."

Good catch. I wonder how long Lightning will also offer this feature.

 

[Bill906]

The front tailgate will be the Failgate for similar reasons

The gate at the tail is the tailgate. The gate in the middle is the Midgate, the gate in front will be the headgate. Unless the frunk is used for water storage. Then it’s the watergate.

 

[Sirfun]

The gate at the tail is the tailgate. The gate in the middle is the Midgate, the gate in front will be the headgate. Unless the frunk is used for water storage. Then it’s the watergate.

Why not the frontgate?

 

[Bill906]

Why not the frontgate?

When used as water storage? That doesn‘t make any sense.

 

[Sirfun]

When used as water storage? That doesn‘t make any sense.

"the gate in front will be the headgate"


Why not the frontgate?

 

[Luke42]

I have a Silverado Hybrid (technically a GMC Sierra, but it's basically a trim level of the Silverado).

The fact is that GM has a formula for a pickup truck that works pretty well, and they've sold millions of them. The only thing that I'd change about it (if I were them) is the drivetrain.

This is one of the reasons Tesla needed to make a radically different truck. Toyota and Nissan have been trying to replicate the formula which makes Ford and GM pickup trucks so successful, and they're 95% of the way there -- but they just can't knock it out the park. The only way Tesla can compete with that is by doing something radically different, and essentially creating a new segment of the pickup truck market. This is a hard market to break in to and, as radical the CT appears, breaking the mold this way is likely the only way a new player can do it.

I'm expecting to see basically the same thing as the Sierrado in my driveway, except without the V8 under the hood. Like the F-150 Lightning, this will be the right choice for GM -- because they have a pickup truck formula that works.

 

[Luke42]

Looking at it, the Silverado is already pretty thick, maybe they can cram a giant battery under there.

My guess for Silverados special feature is a removable hood and front tailgate.

They Pitch it as the “Fred” short for Front bED.

The front tailgate will be the Failgate for similar reasons.

There's lots of room between the frame rails.

Replace rear differential with an electric transaxle. Eliminate driveshaft, fuel tank, emissions equipment. Use the reclaimed space for a big battery. Put inverter/charger, HVAC, windshield washer, and 12V battery on the firewall. Put in a big empty box in the rest of the space and call it a "frunk". Use the Silverado parts bin for everything else. Finally, price it high enough that their core customer will still buy the ICE version. That's the GM way.

Pretty much what Ford did with the F-150 Lightning, and the same thing GM did with the Silverado hybrids.

I own a hybrid-powered Silverado/Sierra. It's a pretty good truck. GM may be formulaic, but they've had decades to get this formula right -- and their formula makes for a pretty good pickup truck.

The biggest problem with my hybrid-powered GM pickup truck is that none of the dealers want my money to help maintain it. GM is going to have to explain why my dealer-experience with the Silverado EV will be better.

 

[SgtSweatySac]

Looking at it, the Silverado is already pretty thick, maybe they can cram a giant battery under there.

My guess for Silverados special feature is a removable hood and front tailgate.

They Pitch it as the “Fred” short for Front bED.

The front tailgate will be the Failgate for similar reasons.

Christ I hate how the new Silverado looks. Will take my 2012 over that thing any day.

I know some might not want to hear it, but I hope Chevy can come out with something that at least competes with the Lightning. Competition breeds innovation, and if it's hot garbage, Ford and Tesla will sit on their laurels.

 

[Ogre]

There's lots of room between the frame rails.

Replace rear differential with an electric transaxle. Eliminate driveshaft, fuel tank, emissions equipment. Use the reclaimed space for a big battery. Put inverter/charger, HVAC, windshield washer, and 12V battery on the firewall. Put in a big empty box in the rest of the space and call it a "frunk". Use the Silverado parts bin for everything else. Finally, price it high enough that their core customer will still buy the ICE version. That's the GM way.

Pretty much what Ford did with the F-150 Lightning, and the same thing GM did with the Silverado hybrids.

I own a hybrid-powered Silverado/Sierra. It's a pretty good truck. GM may be formulaic, but they've had decades to get this formula right -- and their formula makes for a pretty good pickup truck.

The biggest problem with my hybrid-powered GM pickup truck is that none of the dealers want my money to help maintain it. GM is going to have to explain why my dealer-experience with the Silverado EV will be better.

The Hummer battery was something like 18” thick.

I mean… you can fit a bunch between the rails but not this monster.

To get their claimed 400 mile range they will need something that big.

 

[kev12345]

it'll be a lightning with a chevy badge. has the Silverado ever been an innovator?

 

[BahamaTodd]

They can't even make the render high res, it seems. Nikola did better than this.

High res:

 

[Dusty]

. . . I know some might not want to hear it, but I hope Chevy can come out with something that at least competes with the Lightning. . .

Actually most of us WANT the legacy companies to make EV products that are total bangers. But they have earned zero confidence from us. We all know that it's going to be a bunch of day-late-dollar-short, half-assed, cobbled together, afterthought products built at 1/100th the rate of the CT. All because they got caught with their pants down when the EV wave hit.

Judging by the inefficient hose-monster called the Mach-E, I seriously think that the legacy EV trucks are going to be embarrassed by the CT in virtually every meaningful metric. I hope not, but I just don't see them magically getting their act together.

Oh... and let us not forget the dealership thing.

It's not about rooting against them. . . they just make it so doggone hard to believe in them.